"TUF7" Fighter Paul Bradley Signs with EliteXC

http://mmajunkie.comPaul Bradley (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a decorated collegiate wrestler who was picked to compete on the upcoming seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” has split ways with the UFC and has signed a deal with EliteXC.

A source close to the show tells MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the split wasn’t amicable.

Bradley’s new deal with EliteXC was first reported by fiveouncesofpain.com. Bradley’s manager, Mike Camp, confirmed the signing with us, but he declined to comment on the details surrounding the fighter’s curious split from the UFC.

The UFC usually locks up “The Ultimate Fighter” competitors — both the winners and the losers — with contracts. At the very least, the fighters are usually forced to remain inactive during the time in between the show’s taping and its debut on Spike TV.

However, since his time in Las Vegas to tape the show, Bradley has fought outside the UFC (a first-round TKO win at a March 15 “Destiny Fights” event) and signed a deal with EliteXC. Yet, “The Ultimate Fighter 7″ doesn’t debut for another week.

Unlike past seasons of the show, the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter” features 32 fighters — not 16 — and all competitors must first win a fight to earn a spot on the cast.

(To avoid any potential spoilers, we will not reveal whether or not Bradley won any “TUF” fights. However, a source close to the show tells us that Bradley’s departure had nothing to do with losing a fight.)

Terms of Bradley’s new contract with EliteXC were not disclosed, and he hasn’t yet been scheduled for his debut with the organization.

Bradley, 24, is a former high school state wrestling champion (and two-time state runner-up) who earned a scholarship to the University of Iowa, a collegiate-wrestling powerhouse. There, the two-time All-American (at 184 lbs.) finished second at the 2004 Big Team Championships and fourth in 2005. He posted a career mark of 77-37.

Bradley, who began competing professionally in MMA in October 2006, spent some time training with Pat Miletich’s team in Iowa. He is now a part of C-4 MMA (formerly Damage Incorporated), a Midwest-based team. Like most C-4 fighters, Bradley launched his MMA career with the Indianapolis-based Legends of Fighting organization, one of the country’s top regional promotions, where he was the organization’s amateur middleweight champion before turning pro.

Of his six professional victories, three have come via knockout, two via submission, and one via decision.

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